Percolate Interview Questions
& Process

This was my first interview experience that felt really personal, not like the usual generic ones. After a chat with HR, the first step was an algorithm challenge. I liked how they gave me a small algorithm and then asked me to expand on it, which really tested my JavaScript abilities and was spot-on for the role. Then came the onsite interviews where I met the engineers I'd be collaborating with and some senior folks. The onsite included discussing my experience and a coding session using React. This was also very relevant to the job. Everyone I met was super friendly and made me feel welcome. I genuinely enjoyed the whole process and getting to know the team.

So I had a phone interview first with the Recruiting lead, she was really nice and told me all about the job, pay, company and what they expect. Then I had two video interviews with the NY team. The first was with a team member I'd work with daily. We talked about my past experience and what a typical day in the role would be like. After that, I was invited to interview with the Director. This interview was over Zoom. The second video interview was with the Director of IT and Support. We really got into my experience with Percolate's systems and my overall technical background. We also discussed my time in tech startups and situations I've faced in similar roles. A big part of this interview was about culture fit, making sure I'd be a good addition to the support team's dynamic. Finally, I was invited to the San Francisco office for two in-person interviews. These were with long-term employees from different teams and were mostly about culture fit and how I'd vibe with the SF team.

I applied online and about a week later, the recruiter called me. It was a standard first call where she asked about my job history, went over the role details, and inquired about my salary expectations. She was nice to talk to. After our chat, she scheduled a second interview with the VP of Customer Success and also sent me an assessment to complete beforehand. This assessment had about 5 questions, each with multiple parts, asking how I would manage certain scenarios. I finished and sent it back in under a day. The second interview with the VP of CS was a video call. It wasn't super hard; they asked about my background again and some basic situational questions. The interviewer, though, seemed really disengaged the whole time, constantly looking away, fidgeting, and appearing rushed. My thoughtful questions seemed to pique his interest, but while I was answering his, his mind was clearly elsewhere. The next business day, I got an email saying they found other candidates whose skills were a better fit and I wouldn't be proceeding. It's frustrating because I have years of experience in this exact role. Plus, the job posting was over 30 days old when I applied, and I still see new postings for the same job in the same location, suggesting they're still looking.

I applied online and the whole thing took over 3 weeks. First, a recruiter called me. He was really rude, basically saying I was incompetent but he was giving me a shot. Then I had to do a homework assignment with some general questions. After that, I had 3 video calls with people from product, design, and engineering. The last step was an onsite interview at the Percolate New York office. The vibe of the company felt really political, like they wanted someone who would just go along with things and not challenge them or make them look bad. I got the impression some folks, especially in product, were not very competent and seemed to be looking for someone less capable than them, instead of the best person for the job. The engineering and design teams seemed okay, but the product team was pretty weak. Normally product managers are nice, but not here.